


Crowning Glory

by neighborhoodspaceman



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: F/F, Writing Prompt, i needed to stretch my writing muscles, i wanted to write something good but this came out instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 01:38:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18378293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neighborhoodspaceman/pseuds/neighborhoodspaceman
Summary: Debbie has the mother of all toothaches, but hates dentists. She's trying to hide it from Lou, but is she successful?





	Crowning Glory

**Author's Note:**

> I reblogged one of those Tumblr writing prompt things where I'm given three words that should be incorporated into the story. And someone sent me the following words: Crown, Tent and Stairs.

Debbie sat on the couch flipping through Netflix, choosing something for them to watch while Lou made popcorn. She unconsciously rubbed her left bottom molar hoping that it would somehow help with the dull constant ache that had appeared earlier in the week. Never one to enjoy a trip to the dentist she would always just take some over the counter numbing gel to help, but this time the gel wasn’t working. She would never admit it but Debbie Ocean was terrified of the dentist. Between the needles, the drills and hands in her mouth, she’d rather do absolutely anything at all than pay the dentist a visit. She had been doing her best to hide her toothache from Lou because Lou always gave her a hard time about her not going to a dentist. But Lou didn’t understand. Lou had tattoos and had fallen off her bike a couple of times, Lou could handle pain and needles. She still doesn’t know how she managed to get her ears pierced.

 

“What do you want to drink?” Lou asks from the kitchen as she sprinkles salt on the popcorn.

 

Debbie opens her mouth about to ask for a soda but remember that she shouldn’t be consuming that much sugar with her tooth in this condition. Then she thinks maybe club soda would do the trick, just as much fizz but none of the sugar. But then she remembers she can only drink it if it’s very cold and cold drinks would just increase the pain. 

 

“Just a water, please, from the cupboard.”

 

Lou, head inside the fridge reaching for a drink for herself, pulls her head out and stares at Debbie.

 

“You want  _ warm _ water?”

 

Debbie gets up making her way to the kitchen, placing her hands on Lou’s waist as she slips by towards the cupboard.

 

“No, not  _ warm _ . Room temperature.” She pulls out a bottle and quietly closes the cupboard.

 

Lou finishes the popcorn in her mouth, arms crossed hip dropped, “aren’t you the same person who orders an iceberg worth of ice with every drink she gets?”

 

Debbie opens the water and takes a sip barely staving off a wince, “well, I’m changing it up today.”

 

“Bullshit,” Lou says and laughs lightly, “what’s going on?”

 

“Why are you so confident that something’s up?”

 

Lou stares at her a moment and grabs the bowl of popcorn making her way to the kitchen.

 

“Can you bring me a coke?”

 

**************

 

“Sorry I’m late, the line at the post office was a mile long.” Tammy says slipping into the booth at the restaurant where she was meeting Debbie for lunch.

 

“You’re only ten minutes late, no harm done.”

 

Tammy takes a sip of her water and places the glass down on the table noticing Debbie’s glass of water.

 

“No ice? Did you chew it all already?” She asks with no small amount of amusement.

 

“No, uh, no ice for me.”

 

“No ice?”

 

“No ice.”

 

“Is this a prank of some sort? Did Constance put you up to this? Is this like the time she kept trying to get me to say ‘these nuts’ and put it on YouTube?”

 

“What? No, it’s not a prank. Also, please, I don’t wanna even know what the rest of all that means.”

 

**************

 

Having finished lunch Debbie opted to skip dessert, which wasn’t like her, but Tammy didn’t think too much of it. So now over coffee the two were chatting idly about their lives.

 

“Oh, before I forget,” Tammy rummages through her purse pulling out an envelope and handing it to Debbie, “you and Lou are being cordially invited to Patrick’s 10th birthday party.”

 

Debbie smiles as she pulls out the invitation. It’s dark blue and covered in yellow stars with the solar system spanning both the front and back of it.

 

“He wanted to write this one out himself so that it was special.” Tammy says with a fond smile on her face. A year after the heist Tammy introduced Debbie to her family as an old friend from her college days. Her kids had instantly fallen in love with both her and Lou, referring to them as their aunts almost instantly. 

 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 

“Oh, it’s a sleepover. The kids are camping out in the backyard, roasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories, the whole deal.”

 

Debbie smiles as she slips the invite back into the envelope, “ahh to be a kid again.”

 

“You’ll get a chance in three weeks. Tom and I are camping outside too so you and Lou better bring your pjs and a tent.”

 

**************

 

“What about an air mattress?”

 

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. Just a padded sleeping bag should be fine. We’re only going to be sleeping outside for one night.”

 

Debbie doesn’t camp. After prison she promised herself she’d never again sleep on anything that didn’t feel like sleeping on a cloud. But when Tammy’s son Patrick, Debbie’s number one fan, FaceTimed her to make sure she was going to R.S.V.P. (on the same day she’d received the invitation) Debbie new that no amount of tooth related pain would keep her from going and from almost sleeping on the ground. She wasn’t one to openly show affection but she loved Tammy’s kids as if they were her own.

 

Letting out a sigh to hide the near gasp of pain she felt from her tooth, she gets a sideways look from Lou. 

 

“Fine, no air mattress. What about the tent? It has to be waterproof.”

 

“Tent I’ve already placed an order for an in-store pickup, we’ll get it on our way out.”

 

With the needle like pain in her tooth intensifying she holds out her hand towards Lou, “gimme the slip, I’ll go to customer service and get it.”

 

Lou watches Debbie walk toward the front of the store wondering how long it would take Debbie to admit she needed to see a dentist.

 

**************

 

It was the day after Patrick’s birthday, Debbie and Lou were just getting home. They got Patrick a beginner’s telescope which he loved, Lou was convinced he would be either an astronomer or a writer due to his love of the stars.

 

After tossing the camping gear aside Debbie found some Tylenol and took two at once to help stop the pain. She was running out of excuses as to why she didn’t want to have any cold drinks or why she didn’t want a smore, that Patrick had carefully made for her, the night before.

 

Debbie opened her eyes after downing every last drop of water in her glass to find Lou leaning sideways on the refrigerator staring at her with a look that says ‘I know’.

 

“Do you want me to call and make you an appointment?”

 

“An appointment for what?” Debbie asked feigning ignorance.

 

“Suit yourself then. But remember that if you wait too long it’ll only get worse. Maybe even a root canal.”

 

Without a word Debbie places her glass down and makes her way towards the stairs. She intended on going up quickly before Lou could say anything else, but upon taking her first step up she winced when her foot made hard contact with the stair. Determined to make it upstairs with her dignity and pride intact she swallowed every wince and kept her face emotionless. By the time she’d made it up the stairs and into their room she all but passed out due to the pain. She laid down and decided a nap, something she rarely ever did, was needed.

 

**************

 

Two days later Debbie and Lou made their way into town. They walked into a tall mirrored building and went to the 17th floor. The elevator door opens and Lou gets out, walks down the hall to the left with Debbie in tow. The pain was too overwhelming to ask Lou where they were going, but she needed to at least follow along to keep up the illusion of not needing to see a dentist. 

 

As they arrive at the door they needed, it’s being held open by the person that just walked out. Debbie nods her thanks and walks in. Debbie takes a look around. There are pictures of smiling people all around. By the setup she’s already guessed they’re in a waiting room. When Debbie takes a look at the designated children’s corner and sees a smiling tooth on the wall she looks over sharply at Lou.

 

“You were so distracted by the pain that you didn’t figure it out until now,” Lou whispered leaning in towards Debbie.

 

Debbie wants to say something back and storm out but her anger is causing the nerves in her tooth to throb even more and she involuntarily winces.

 

“Deb, please, for fuck’s sake just see the dentist. I hate seeing you like this.”

 

Debbie loved winning an argument, but she loved not being in pain even more. Besides, this toothache was clouding her judgement enough to be tricked into going a dentist’s office. 

 

“Alright, you win.” Debbie says quietly and sits in a chair, Lou sitting next to her. She rifles through the magazines in the rack to her right and pulls out two. One for Lou and one for her.

 

**************

 

A few weeks later, the whole gang is reunited back at the loft to discuss another potential job over lunch. Lou filled a glass with ice and put in front of Debbie and Tammy notices.

 

“I thought you weren’t chewing ice anymore?” Tammy asks a bit confused, thinking back to their lunch date and to her son’s birthday party.

 

“She got it fixed.” Lou says as she takes a sip of her drink.

 

“Got what fixed?” Tammy asks.

 

“My molar.” Debbie says while chewing ice.

 

“Oh, is that why you asked me to book you that appointment last month?” Nine Ball asks Lou.

 

Lou smiles at Debbie who is wearing an almost exasperated expression.

 

“Is it gold? Lemme see.” Constance starts getting up to go see Debbie’s tooth.

 

“Please don’t. And no, it’s not gold. It’s a  _ porcelain _ crown.”

 

“Why didn’t you get a gold one?” Constance asks in genuine disbelief.

 

“Couldn’t afford it.” Debbie smiles slyly.

 

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you went to a dentist.” Tammy interjects.

 

“I got conned.” Debbie says playfully. She places her hand on Lou’s thigh and squeezes it slightly, a silent ‘thank you’ for Lou knowing exactly what she needed without her ever even saying it.


End file.
